The Fire in my Hands
by WaddlesThePenguin
Summary: Highborn - Altmer and Adept level mage - finds herself in Skyrim, awaiting her execution. Set free by a dragon, Highborn can roam Skyrim as she sees fit. However, the northern province is not as peaceful as it seems. Fascinated with the College of Winterhold, bent on getting revenge on the Imperial Legion and destiny bound into saving the world, will Highborn survive?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hi! I've planned this for some time and I just got round to writing this chapter today! (You know, school and my baby brother is always crying). I'm going to fill you in on the main character; Highborn is an Altmer (High Elf) and an ex-Thalmor. She knows up to the adept level spells for all magic skills (every single spell (unless they are found in Dawnguard or through a special quest)) and invisibility and is great at enchanting. She's OK with one-handed, not very good with two-handed and block, good at archery and alright at the rest. She was travelling around Tamriel to see sights and to get away from the Thalmor chasing her as she had figured that if she went to somewhere Thalmor-free, she would be safe (derp). Her destiny led her to Skyrim as she is the Dovahkiin and that is why she is in Skyrim, waiting to be killed (I love a happy ending!)**

**For those of you who like Dragon Quest 9, check out my story 'Celestial Secrets'. If you are one of the readers who were reading 'CS' before, thanks for checking this one out! OK, lets start this puppy off! **

**PS. This will go in parts. Up to telling Balgruuf about Helgen is part 0.**

**PPS. Check out Trials of the Dragonborn by ArrrowStriker and Challenges of a Warrior by CompanionWolf12.**

**Enjoy!**

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_**Part 0: Starting in Skyrim.**_

**1. Unbound.**

I groggily opened my eyes and yawned. I blinked a few times and examined my surroundings. I was in a carriage with three men. One was dressed in a shabby tunic and footwraps. His face was dirty and he had a mop of light brown hair. The one opposite me was obviously a warrior. He was dressed in dark blue and grey armour. His golden blond hair came to his shoulders and a braid was at the left (not unlike mine). He was quite handsome. The last man was dressed in expensive looking clothes with furs. He too had golden blond hair but he was gagged. I realised all their hands were bound. I pulled my hands and found that mine, also, were bound. I then realised that I was in the same clothes as the brown-haired man! Where were my own clothes? Where was the circlet that was my family heirloom? What had happened to my elven bow, sword, dagger and arrows? They were the only tokens from my life in Summerset Isle. My Thalmor weapons that I had been duty-bound to carry at all times, the weapons that had trained me and reminded me of my family were gone. Each of those weapons represented a family member; the bow represented my mother - tall, slender and accurate. The dagger reminded me of Amaryllis, my little sister - small, quick, clever and sharp. My father was replaced by the sword - strong and noble and the arrows made me think of Octavia, my older sister - free-spirited, helpful and necessary for something else (my mother) to work amazingly. The circlet was a reminder of my ancestors. I had mementos of my whole family and now I had lost them.

The handsome one noticed me.  
"You," he said with a heavy Nordic accent. "You tried to cross the border! Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us! Oh, and that thief over there."  
I shuddered. I was wearing the same clothes as a thief! Had the Thalmor found me? If so, where was I going? I looked at the front of the carriage desperately. Thankfully, there was just a man in leather armour with red material. The thief spoke up.  
"Damn you Stormcloaks! Everything was fine until _you_ came along. The Empire was nice and lazy. If they weren't keeping an eye out for you, I could have stolen that horse and be half the way to Hammerfell by now!"  
"We're all brothers and sisters in arms now, thief." The Nord calmly retorted.

"Shut up back there!" A soldier shouted at us.  
The thief looked at me.  
"You," he began. "You and me, we shouldn't be here! It's the Stormcloaks the Imperials want, not us!"  
"No, _I _should not be here. You deserve what is coming to you. By the way, where are we going? What's happening? Who are you three?" My name is Highborn."  
"Lokir." The thief grumbled.  
"I'm Ralof. And the gagged man is Ulfric Stormcloak, leader of the Stormcloak rebellion and true High-King of Skyrim!" The handsome Nord said, much nicer than Lokir. I glanced over to Ulfric, he met me with a glare. _Great, I'm imprisoned by some army I have never heard of, I am possibly on the way to my execution and I am sharing my carriage with a racist Nord and a thief!_ I thought to myself.  
"Ulfric was tortured during the war with the Aldmeri Dominion and holds a grudge against all mer." Ralof explained.  
"So are you the only one that isn't a racist or a thief? I will have you know I abandoned the Thalmor. That's why I'm here. I was just intending to find refuge. It's just bad luck that I ended up in an execution wagon in a country half-full with racist barbarians!"  
Ralof chuckled. "I suppose I am left out of the 'racist barbarian' class, am I?"  
"I suppose you are. Why am I here and why are you here?" I asked, testing to see if I could conjure a simple flame. It worked! I partially burned my bindings so that, when the time was right, I could escape. I listened to Ralof's explanation while working out a plan.  
"Well, Ulfric challenged High-King Torygg to a duel to the death. He used an ancient Nordic art called shouting to nearly tear Torygg to pieces! Torygg died and Ulfric started the rebellion against the Imperial Legion, thus causing a civil war. We were crossing the border into Cyrodiil while you were crossing into Skyrim. The soldiers thought you were with us and attacked. So now we are going to be executed in Helgen. Sovngarde awaits..."  
I left Lokir and Ralof to discuss home while I decided that when no one was looking, I would cast invisibility. I would escape the town and flee to Hammerfell.

* * *

"Ralof of Riverwood." A young Imperial was calling out our names for execution. Ralof walked to the killing area  
"Lokir of Rorikstead."  
"No! I'm not a rebel!" He protested, running away.  
"Archers!" The commander barked fiercely. Lokir was shot dead. "Does anyone else feel like running?"  
"Who are you?" The young Imperial asked me. I could see he was not enjoying this.

Hadvar's P.O.V:  
The High Elf drew herself up to full height. Like all Altmer, she was very tall. She was also beautiful. White-blonde hair came down to her shoulders with a braid at the side. Her bright green eyes were highlighted by red war paint. There was more war paint on her forehead forming a star-like shape (but with no top point).  
"My name is Highborn." She said. I looked at the list, she was not there.  
"Captain, she's not on the list." I said.  
"Forget the list, she dies too!"  
"I'm sorry." I told Highborn. "Your remains will be sent to Summerset Isle." I didn't like the fact we were ruining her life with no proof of her crime. But there was nothing I could do.

Highborn's P.O.V:

I smiled sarcastically at the young man and walked to the block. After discovering that the Thalmor were here, I had even less chance of escaping. A priestess rambled on about the eight Divines and she was interrupted by a Stormcloak, waiting for Sovngarde. His head rolled off the block and obscenities were hurled at the Imperials. A noise sounded and everyone looked at the skies. This was my chance! I broke my bindings and vanished. The noise came again, closer this time. Ralof knelt down to the block. Just as the headsman raised his axe, a dragon, black as night, flew into sight. It landed on top of the watchtower and the headsman fell down. I cast ironflesh and a sheen spread over my body, revealing me, as meteors rained down on us. I ran to the watchtower where Ralof and Ulfric were talking hurriedly. There were two more Stormcloaks on the floor. I used a healing spell on them. A golden glow flowed through them and they stood up. I gave them a nod before sprinting up the stairs. Part of the wall exploded and the dragon reared it's ugly head, breathing fire. I shot an ice storm at it and it roared in pain and flew away to find something easier to terrorise. Ralof ran up to me.  
"Jump!" He yelled. "We'll catch up!" I heeded his advice and landed in a house. I ran down and found the man who had been calling our names telling a little boy to get down. I threw a spell down and a frost atronach came out from a purple spinning orb.  
"Guard this child!" I commanded the daedra. I walked to the child and knelt down. I put my hands on his shoulders. He looked up in fear.  
"This atronach will protect you for two minutes. Run as fast as you can to safety!" I told him  
Thank you!" He said tearfully and ran. The ice creature followed him. The man - I had heard someone call him Hadvar - smiled at me. We ran together through the wreckage of a house. We got through and saw Imperial mages shooting firebolts at the dragon. We carried on. As we approached the keep, Ralof came around the corner. He had a short argument with Hadvar and each ran to a different door to the keep. I turned to Ralof and he carried on in. When he was gone, I beckoned Hadvar to come with us. He took my invitation and together, we followed Ralof into the keep.

* * *

When we came in, Ralof was kneeling over a dead Stormcloak. He looked up and got angry.  
"Come to finish me off, have you?" He yelled.  
"Ralof," I interjected "This is no time to be squabbling over your civil war! We need to work together if we want to survive."  
"She's right, Ralof." Hadvar backed me up. "We may not like each other, but we were best friends as children. We know each other well." Ralof saw the sense in my plan and nodded. He turned to me.  
"Take Gunjar's armour." He told me. "Take his war axe too." Before we had time, the imperial commander showed up through a gate. Ralof raised his axes and lightning appeared in my hands. Hadvar stepped towards her.  
"Commander," he said, trying to reason with her. "We have to join forces if we want to get out alive."  
"I would rather die than fight with these people!" The commander shouted. "For siding with them, you are a traitor. You are renounced from the Imperial Legion and will be treated like a Stormcloak!" She raised her weapon. But before she could use it, I shot a lightning bolt at her. Volts racked her body and she fell dead. Hadvar hung his head. He had been kicked out of his life. He took off his armour and raised his imperial sword. I thought he was about to stab himself when he dropped them and walked to Gunjar's corpse, equipping his armour and war axe.  
"I will have revenge." He said grimly. Ralof and I smiled at him. He wanted to be a Stormcloak, now we could get along peacefully. I walked to the dead commander and donned her armour. I took her and Hadvar's swords for when my magicka ran out and we walked deeper into the keep.

The first room we came into had two Imperials in. They died burning in my fire. I looked in a barrel and found some potions. We progressed onwards. We walked downstairs and found torturers battling some rebels. Hadvar shuddered. He and Ralof took out longbows and started shooting them. A bound bow appeared in my hand and I joined them. The rebels thanked us and we stopped to discuss a plan. While they were talking tactics, I picked the lock on a cage and looted the mage inside, picking up the gold surrounding him. They all looked up at me wearing the mages robes and hood. A bound sword appeared in each hand and I smiled at them.  
"Are we escaping or stopping for tea?" They all grinned and we ran.

We came to a cavern with water and five Imperials turned to face us. We had a kind of stare-down before charging at each other. There was one for each of us. The two rebels we saved worked in unison to bring down two by a stream of water with their warhammers. Ralof, Hadvar and I charged at the remaining three. Two ran up to us but Ralof and Hadvar slew them quickly. The final one, an archer, stood still, firing at us. The two went to finish her but I stopped them. The archer was standing on oil. I cast a simple flames spell on the pinky-reddy substance and it set on fire, subsequently burning the archer to death. We proceeded.

After we got over a drawbridge, part of the ceiling collapsed, blocking the way we came and trapping the other two Stormcloaks.  
"They'll just have to find another way, come on!" Ralof said. We followed him down the path made by the stream of water before turning right. We went down a ramp and into a large cavern covered in giant cobwebs. The boys went ahead. When I got near the webs, something dropped down. It had eight legs and something that looked like a stinger at it's back. It's mandibles dripped with saliva and poison. I recognised the creature that would haunt my dreams as a child.

It was a frostbite spider; my worst fear.

I screamed and ran to where I had just came, trying to avoid the poison being spewed at me. More dropped down. When I had put a good distance between the arachnids and I, I turned around and saw Hadvar and Ralof fighting them. The final one died and I sighed with relief. The boys waited for me before running off. As I went to follow them, a final spider dropped down. Frantic with fear, I shot a dual casted fireball and it died where it stood. Ralof and Hadvar ran back and escorted a shaking me along. We came to a very large (and spider-free) cavern. I looked across the stream and saw a bear. Ralof and Hadvar started discussing whether or not to kill her while I decided for them by launching a fireball at her. The explosion - and the bear's howls of pain - echoed around the tunnel. They looked in awe at me. I just smiled and walked on.

We saw a light and ran, emerging into the beautiful sunset. I was free, safe.

Unbound.

But a picture of the Imperial General, the man who sentenced me to death, burned in my mind along with one word:

Revenge.

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**Author's note: I hope you liked it! It's taken me a while to write this. I've wanted to for ages. Since the Summer holidays start next week, I'll try to get a couple more chapters in (for my other story as well). Thank you for choosing to read this. Please review.**

**Happy reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Hi again! I'm pretty disappointed, I only have two reviews! A story came out a few days later (it's called Atronach by Ninja Addy) and it already has 4 reviews for the first chapter! (The second one got published yesterday.) Please review, I don't see what's so hard about it: you write what you liked or disliked about the chapter/story and submit it. I'll be so grateful if you review, so please do. Anyways, I forgot some things last time:  
1. I do NOT own Skyrim.  
2. Please don't leave foul language in your reviews, if you do, I will delete them, it's your call.**

**OK, ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

**2. Guardian Stones and Walking Bones.**

We ducked down as we saw the black dragon fly over a Nordic ruin and into the horizon. If there was one good thing about Skyrim, it was the sunset. Ralof and Hadvar started walking down the path. I walked after them, Ralof started speaking to us in a business-like fashion.  
"You know, you two should join the Stormcloak rebellion. Go to Windhelm and speak to Ulfric Stormcloak in the Palace of Kings. He'll recruit you, he will find it useful to get an ex-Imperial that was at Helgen and an adept level mage."  
"But will he be pleased that it's us?" I questioned him. Ralof chose not to answer. We came upon three slightly mossy stone pillars. One bore the picture of a thief, the second a wizard, and the third a warrior.  
"These are the Guardian Stones." Hadvar told me. "Three of the thirteen Standing Stones in Skyrim." I nodded. I had read about these on my journey into Skyrim. These stones obviously represented the three paths of life; a thief, a mage and a warrior. I walked over to the Mage Stone and accepted it's blessing. The stone lit up as I walked away from it. Ralof and Hadvar did not seem surprised. We carried on walking.  
"Where are we going?" I asked them.  
"Riverwood." They both simultaneously answered. Hadvar explained. "It's where we grew up, my uncle is Alvor, the blacksmith and Ralof's sister, Gerdur runs the mill. They can help us." We stayed silent for the rest of the journey.

* * *

Thankfully, Gerdur, Alvor and their partners, Hod and Sigrid, were all together. The boys explained what happened at Helgen and I sat back and decided where I would go. If Alvor and Gerdur didn't want me to do anything else, I would ask around to see if there was somewhere that I could study magic. If there was no such place, I would join the Stormcloak Rebellion and get my revenge. Alvor and Gerdur walked up to me. Gerdur spoke for both of them.  
"Thank you. You united Hadvar and Ralof once again and saved them from their deaths. We have got some things for you. From me, I give you food, potions, lockpicks and some poisons." I was presented with a sack of food, 10 magicka, health and stamina potions, twenty lockpicks and various coloured phials of poison that I recognised from my days in the Thalmor. I got three of each: a basic potent poison, potent stamina poison, potent magicka poison and potent paralysis poison. Alvor was next.  
"Highborn, I give you weapons, armour, alchemy ingredients, soul gems and forge materials." I was handed some iron and steel ingots, a hunting bow and steel arrows, a steel war axe, leather and leather strips, 10 common soul gems, various alchemy ingredients, some banded iron armour and a banded iron shield. I thanked them.  
"One more thing," Gerdur asked. "Can you ask the Jarl of Whiterun to send guards to Riverwood? If the dragon torched a heavily guarded town like Helgen then I shudder to think what would remain if it attacked Riverwood. Hadvar and Ralof will be staying here before heading to Windhelm. We are forever in your debt." I told her that I would deliver the message and left the group to talk. On my way to the trader, I saw a Bosmer and a Nord arguing. They finished and walked away. The elf saw me and walked over to me.  
"What was that about?" I asked.  
"My name is Faendal, that bard, Sven and I are both in love with Camilla Valerius. Could you give her this fake letter from Sven? This will make her choose me over him." He gave me the letter before I could refuse and ran off. Disgusted, I walked over to Sven and told him. He took the letter and gave me a fake letter from Faendal to give Camilla. I ripped it up and stalked to the Riverwood trader. I came in to the sound of arguing.  
"I will not allow it!" the shopkeeper shouted. "I won't endanger someone, Camilla!"  
"Are you Camilla Valerius?" I asked the woman arguing with the shopkeeper.  
"Yes, but why?" She asked.  
"Sven and Faendal are both in love with you, who are _you _in love with?"  
"I have to admit, whenever I am around Faendal, I feel complete." She answered.  
"Thank you. Now, is there a problem?" I asked her.  
"Yes, some bandits robbed us and took our ornamental Golden Claw to Bleak Falls Barrow. It's a dragon's claw made of pure gold. I want to hire someone to head after them but my brother Lucan here won't do it!"  
"Depending on my pay, I will retrieve the claw for you." I told them, sensing a heavy reward. "Just show me where the Barrow is and I will go." Camilla thanked me and gave me directions to the ruins. I sold some gems I had found on the corpses of wolves and Imperials and headed off to find Faendal.

"Camilla loves _you._" I told him.  
"Thank you for asking her! I hear you are going towards Bleak Falls Barrow. To repay you, I will accompany you and give you training in Archery." He said gratefully. I trained with him and raised my accuracy with a bow and gave him the armour Alvor gave me (I continued to wear my mage robes) before heading up the mountain to the silent Nordic Ruin.

* * *

When we approached the Barrow, we were attacked by bandits. I killed the stupid thugs with a chain lightning spell. Horror played over their faces as the lightning arced through each of them and proceeded to pass on to someone else. We walked inside and killed some more bandits with our bows. One managed to run up to us and I gutted him with my new war axe. We proceeded down, killing every bandit in sight.

Eventually we heard someone shouting for help. We ran towards the voice and came across a thick web. I new that there were frostbite spiders in there. A flame atronach appeared from my hand before I burned the web down. A frostbite spider the size of a small hut came down from a hole in the cobweb-covered roof. Faendal and the atronach fought it up close while I flung firebolts at it with my eyes closed. When the creature fell dead I realised I was too afraid to walk past it. A brilliant idea crossed my mind, I used revenant **(A.N. Revenant is the adept level zombie spell)** on it and, as soon as it rose, I conjured an atronach. The reanimated spider, since I could only have one conjured assistant, fell into a pile of ash. I grinned and memorised the trick for future frostbite spiders. I approached the man who was calling for help. He was caught in a web that was blocking the exit.  
"Is it you who stole the Golden Claw?" Faendal asked him.  
"Who else but Arvel the Swift? Of course it was me!" The Dunmer bragged. "Now cut me down!"  
"Not until you give us the claw, rogue." I told him coldly.  
"How can I? I'm tied up!" He retorted.  
I sighed and burned the webs around him. He dropped down and ran, clutching the Claw to his chest. He hadn't gone very far before an ice spike punctured one of his lungs. I picked up the golden claw and we continued down the halls where coffins and skeletons lay. We had not gone far when some of the skeletons got out of their tombs and walked towards us brandishing weapons. I suppressed a scream and noticed a swinging axe trap through a corridor. An idea formed in my head. Golden light came from my palm and hit the skeletons. It was a turn undead spell. The skeletons ran through the passage in fear and were sliced in half by the axes. I could take advantage of the Ancient Nords' paranoia.  
"What were they? "I asked Faendal.  
"Draugr." He replied. "Ancient Nords that served the dragons and were punished with undeath for their betrayal to the Nords." I nodded. There was something odd about this place and I decided to find out what. We carried on down the tomb, fighting any walking bones that dared to cross our path.

* * *

"What's this?" I asked Faendal. We had approached a chamber with a peculiar wall blocking the way forward. On it were three rings with animals on.  
"I have no idea, but it looks like the Golden Claw would fit in that hole." Faendal replied. I placed it in and it turned. We jumped back as arrows rained down upon the spot where we had just been standing. When the barrage had stopped, I took the golden claw out of the hole and looked at it despairingly. I realised there were three animals on the palm that looked like the animals on the rings. In order from the top to the bottom, there was a bear, a moth and an owl. I touched the top ring and, to my surprise, it shifted. The ring rotated so a bear was on the ring. I did the same with the other two so they matched the animals on the claw and inserted it. We stepped back, half-expecting arrows. There were none. The wall lowered and we stepped into a large chamber filled with a natural light. As we approached the main part, we noticed another tomb and a stone wall with strange writing on it. Somehow I knew it read:

_Here lies the guardian  
Keeper of dragonstone  
And a force of unending  
Rage and darkness_

The word 'force' was lit up with a blue light and energy flowed into me. I heard a singsong voice chanting "Force: Unrelenting Force" in my mind. The tomb lid burst open and a draugr, radiating power, stepped out of it. Faendal pulled out his newly acquired ancient nord bow **(A.N. High got one too)** and started firing at the corpse. I hacked at him with two bound swords and he soon fell dead. I took his ice-damage enchanted sword to disenchant and a strange stone tablet (probably the dragonstone mentioned on the wall) from his body. I gathered one thing from this adventure.

I hated the Ancient Nords.

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**Author's Note: Teehee. I hope you liked the chapter. Please review. Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hi! Sorry I haven't posted anything lately. I haven't got much to say except that I am NOT a girl like Highborn. In Skyrim, I _am_ an Altmer mage and I'm afraid of Frostbite Spiders (shut up) but I'm not a girl and don't find Ralof attractive (or any other males). Highborn will just work better for some things like a joke in the Companions and marriage.  
Anyways, this is the end of part 0 and we'll get a look into Highborn's days travelling through Tamriel.  
ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

**3. Goal.**

"I have the Golden Claw!" I announced as I came into the trader. Lucan and Camilla stopped their heated arguing and turned to smile at me. Camilla hugged Faendal and thanked him for accompanying me _and_ not dying and Lucan gave me a bulging coin purse.  
"There's 500 gold in there. Thank you so much!"  
"It's fine! I acquired knowledge of the Ancient Nords and learned a way to dispose of spider corpses!" I replied cheerfully. Camilla walked over to me and handed me some yellow robes and a yellow-brown hood. They were adept level.  
"Someone gave me these because they mistook me for a mage that had saved their life. I think you should have them." She explained. I thanked her and went upstairs to change into them. The magic flowed into me as I fitted the hood over my head. I once again sold all the things I had acquired in the barrow, bid Faendal, Lucan and Camilla farewell, and set out for Whiterun.

Following the directions Gerdur gave me, I walked to the city where I was supposed to find the Jarl. On the way, I saw two Imperial soldiers herding a prisoner forward. Anger and hatred well up inside me. I reluctantly tossed the prisoner the enchanted Ancient Nordic sword that I had found in the Barrow and we took on the Imperials. One was killed with an ice storm rolling through him and the other was hacked to pieces by the prisoner. "Run." I told him. "Get to Windhelm and re-join the fight." He thanked me and darted off.

As I was walking past some farms I noticed a commotion in a field ahead. When I got a closer look I saw a giant battling with some warriors. They looked like they could use some help so I sent a firebolt hurtling towards the monster's head, felling it. I walked over to the warriors and the leader, a redhead with striped war paint walked over to me.  
"Good work." She told me. "I may not be fond of magic but it takes a warrior's heart to stand up to a giant, that is why me and my shield-siblings are here. My name is Aela the Huntress. This is Farkas," she pointed to a man with dark, shoulder length hair in steel armour. "And this is Ria." She pointed to a woman with short brown hair and red war paint below her eyes and mouth.  
"My name is Highborn." I told her. "What's a shield-sibling?"  
"New around town, eh? We are from the Companions, a guild of honourable warriors that originates from Ysgramor, the first Nord to settle in Skyrim. If you wish to join us, speak to Kodlak Whitemane up at Jorrvaskr."  
"I will consider your offer. Goodbye Aela, Farkas, Ria." I left the field and walked undisturbed (thank goodness) to the city gates where a guard in yellow armour stopped me.  
"What business have you in Whiterun?" He asked me.  
"Riverwood requires the Jarl's aid." I calmly replied.  
"Alright." He said. "But don't cause any trouble." As I walked in, he regarded my bow, which I had on my back after killing a wolf. "What use is that without any arrows?" I looked at my back and saw my quiver was empty.

Dammit.

* * *

I looked at Whiterun for any possible hunting shops that could provide me with some arrows. There was a sign outside a building saying "The Drunken Huntsman." I supposed it was a tavern and a hunting shop. I entered.

My nose was assailed by fumes of beef stew and mead. It smelled like an inn but there were bows and daggers on the wall. I walked over to the counter where I bought a number of steel and iron arrows and sold a wolf pelt. I turned around and my jaw dropped. Sitting in an alcove and staring into her cup was a Dunmer woman clad in leather armour with yellow war paint streaking down her face.

Jenassa.

My memories of my friends that I had travelled Tamriel with stirred and a flashback gripped my mind:

_We were so close to the border of Morrowind, I was worried we might fall prey to Dunmer bandits. Cyrodiil would have been a safe place but we had neglected to remember that the Thalmor were still looking to make sure the Empire was abiding by the rules. We heard a rustle and we froze. Arravus nocked an arrow in her Dwarven bow while Torroval readied his Orcish sword and shield. I already had fire in my hands. We formed a close triangle, watching for any signs of movement. The rustle came again, closer this time and a Dark Elf in leather armour jumped out at us wielding two ebony daggers. She hacked at Torroval and her daggers glanced off his shield. She swiped at his head and would have broken his skull had he not used his feline reflexes and ducked. The daggers just sliced some fur off his head. Arravus reached a suitable distance and fired at the woman, her Bosmer face lined with concentration. The arrow struck the Dunmer's side and she gasped as the drain health enchantment sapped her strength. Her lack of stamina due to Torroval's sword's enchantment showed on her face and allowed me to stab her with my elven dagger, draining what little magicka she had with its shock enchantment. Satisfied, I burned her with flames and she howled with pain, falling to her knees.  
"Please!" She begged us. "Don't kill me! I only attacked you because I thought you were Thalmor! Looking at your weapons now, I see they are not all elven. My name is Jenassa. I am fleeing Morrowind and searching for refuge in Skyrim. I murdered a man who was supposedly innocent when he wasn't and now Morrowind wants my head on a stick. I thought they would send Thalmor after me and when I saw you I believed that the Thalmor had come for me as your provinces are under Thalmor rule, but now that I think about it, I cannot remember seeing any Khajiit or Bosmer soldiers."  
Torroval stood over her. "There are Khajiit and Bosmer Thalmor. But they are only found in Valenwood and Elsweyr. We are fleeing the Thalmor and also seeking refuge. We will let you live as long as you accompany us on our travels. We were planning on going to Morrowind but Skyrim is fine. We could use someone with the stealth skills you possess. However, if we are recognised, you will share the same fate as us. Deal?" It was still strange to hear his Khajiit accent without him referring to himself in third-person, but that's what travelling with us had done to him. Jenassa looked up at him.  
"Deal."_

_Jenassa became a useful asset to our team and we all bonded with her. We had someone of every strength. Torroval was amazing in close combat with weapons, Arravus was an excellent archer, Jenassa was one with the shadows and I was the magical warrior. However at the border to Skyrim, she betrayed us. Slipped into the shadows and abandoned us to save her own hide._

My thoughts and memories faded and were replaced by unbridled anger. I stomped over to her and my fist connected with her nose. While she was shocked, I pinned her up against the wall. "I want answers you blue-skinned bitch!" I yelled and slapped her across the face, her nose began to bleed from my first punch.  
"Please! It's not what you think!" She begged, shock and fear clouding her eyes. "I planned to rescue you from Helgen but the dragon attacked and I gave up hope, so I came to Whiterun and, after grieving for the three of you, decided to become a mercenary. I'm so glad you're safe!"  
"Where are Torroval and Arravus?"  
"Last I heard, there were executions in Solitude and Markarth. I would have gone there but I would have been too late. I think they're dead." Her words struck me like arrows. Tears began to stream down my cheeks and they did for two hours. When I had stopped crying, I recounted my events to Jenassa, the deaths of my friends still looming over my head.

"Although Arra and Tor are gone, I'm glad I still have your friendship, Jen." I told her. We hugged and stood up. Jenassa had agreed to come with me wherever I decided to go. We walked through the city and eventually found ourselves before a giant palace.  
"This is the Jarl's palace, Dragonsreach. Let's go inside." Jen told me. We entered the palace.

A warm glow illuminated the white walls. After a large staircase, two long dining tables laden with platters of food were placed on either side of a large fire. There was a room to the left and to the right. On the right of the throne, a staircase led upstairs. On the throne sat a blond long-haired Nord. Jarl Balgruuf the Greater. Due to our awe at the palace interior, we accidentally ignored a red-haired Dark Elf stalking towards us with her sword drawn. We unknowingly walked past her, bad idea. I heard the tell-tale crackle of lightning and threw up a ward just as a lightning bolt met it, scattering on contact. The woman stalked up to us.  
"Sorry. We were so dumbstruck by the palace that we didn't notice you. My name is Highborn and this is Jenassa. We have a message from Riverwood." I told her, slightly embarrassed and feeling like a six-year-old.  
"Irileth!" The Jarl called out. "Who is it?"  
"Messengers from Riverwood, my Lord!" She replied.  
"Bring them up!" Irileth walked towards the throne. We followed her.  
"Irileth is the Jarl's housecarl. The role is basically a personal body-guard." Jen told me. We stopped in front of the throne and the Jarl regarded me with judging eyes.  
"What do you deem important enough to approach me, traveller?" He asked me. I recounted everything I needed to. The Jarl and Irileth listened carefully and at the end Balgruuf ordered Irileth to dispatch troops to Riverwood.

He turned to us.  
"Thank you, Highborn. You've done Whiterun a service. Please take this leather helmet. It is enchanted to improve power of one-handed weapons. If that is no use to you, perhaps Jenassa can get some use out of it." I thanked him and gave the helmet to Jenassa, who fit it over her head. The Jarl held up his hand as a signal that he had something else to say.  
"Did you say you went to Bleak Falls Barrow?"  
"Yes, why?"  
"Did you find anything there?"  
"Yes, a stone tablet." The Jarl's face lit up with excitement.  
"Go see my court-wizard, Farengar. He's been looking for this tablet. He's in the room to my left." He told us. We thanked him and went into the room. A mage looked up at us from his desk.  
"Yes, what do you want?" He asked.  
"I believe you were searching for this." I said, holding the tablet aloft. His eyes widened.  
"That's...that's...that's the Dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barrow!"  
"Do you want it?"  
"Of course! Thank you! Now, regarding your reward, Balgruuf can give you some armour, or I can enchant allof your weapons."  
"We'll take the enchantments. But instead of you enchanting them, can you teach me some enchantments and give me soul gems so I can enchant them?"  
"Um Ok. What enchantments would you like to be taught?"  
"Soul trap, Fear, Drain magicka and Drain health." I told him. He gave me some iron daggers he had enchanted with the enchantments and I disenchanted them. I asked for Jenassa's weapons and felt a bitterness to see that she still had her original ebony daggers and her hunting bow. Jenassa's daggers got Soul trap and Fear and her bow got Drain health. I enchanted my war axe with Soul trap and my bow with Drain magicka. Noticing the way the weapons shone with powerful enchantments he spoke to me.  
"You know, you should join the Mage's College in Winterhold. You show real potential!"  
"Thank you, I will!" I now had a goal. I would go to the College and learn how to master my magic, increasing my chances to thwart the Imperial Legion.

And I would never give up.

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**Author's Note: I hope you liked it! Please please PLEASE review. Bye!**

**PS: I know there is supposed to be a dragon attack after this but I'll do things my own way.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! Here comes the start of part one which is the College of Winterhold. I haven't got much to say except tell you some recommendations. I've started a fic called Tales of the Dead, it's just poetry about important questline characters that die. My first one is Cicero. Also, look up Atronach by Adz 99.  
Ok, ON WITH THE STORY!**

**PS: I have completed all questlines and know how they go so if you think I'm doing questlines wrong it's because I'm adapting it to suit my needs and wants. OK?**

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_**Part I: The College of Winterhold.**_

**4. Mysteries in Saarthal.**

"We would like to hire your carriage to Winterhold." I told the carriage driver outside Whiterun stables.  
"50 gold. Climb on back." I tossed him a coin purse and we jumped onto the carriage. I relaxed and imagined Winterhold: _Light, crisp snow covered the ground and the sun shone brightly. Children played in the streets of the city. In the centre, tall and proud, stood the College, majestic in the snow. _I smiled and relaxed for the long journey ahead.

* * *

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Winterhold was barren. A wasteland! Houses were destroyed and there was little sun. Dragonsreach was larger! Me and Jenassa looked around, searching for the College. We came across a stone ramp that led up to a bridge and a large building. _This must be the College!_ I thought excitedly. We went up the ramp and a High Elf with red hair tied into two pigtails at the back and dressed in robes approached us.  
"Cross the bridge at your own peril! The path is dangerous and the gate will not open." She said fiercely.  
"Is this the College of Winterhold?" I asked.  
"Yes. If you seek admission, however, a certain test must be passed first. I am Faralda. I test those wishing to join the College and I also teach destruction."  
"I am Highborn and this is Jenassa." Jen raised a hand in greeting. "I seek admission to the College. What sort of test?"  
"Well, we won't take any old novice who thinks they can incinerate giants when they can't even incinerate their big toe. Adults of all races can heal needle pricks and boil water for a short period of time when they channel their magicka. It takes a _real_ mage, however, to fry a sabre cat's vital organs with a firebolt or to-" She stopped as I vanished. I ran to a bush and hurled a firebolt at her and then walked up to her and cast heal other, healing her burns.  
"Will that suffice?" I asked her, smiling.  
"Yes, I think it will. Welcome, Apprentice!" I buzzed inside with joy. I was part of the College!  
"Oh, one more thing. Jenassa is not in any way magical but I would like her to accompany-"  
"No."  
"Please? I don't want to leave her."  
"If Jenassa can cast the firebolt spell, she can come in. But she will not be treated as an apprentice and will have to use a bedroll."  
"Then I will try." Jenassa said. "Can you teach me the spell?"  
"For thirty gold." Jen gave her the money and Faralda handed her the spell tome.  
"Just think of it like drawing a bow." I told her. "Build up energy, then release." Thankfully, she was able to coax a small firebolt into the air.  
"Very well." Said Faralda. "I'll show you across the bridge." We walked across the bridge with her and eventually came to a gate bearing an eye, probably the College's symbol, and it swayed open for us. The building was magnificent. Three towers formed a triangle and were connected above by a balcony. In the middle was a large statue of a mage. Faralda pointed to the door to the tower on our left.  
"That is where you will be sleeping." Then she pointed to the tower on the right. "Most of the staff can be found in there. The other tower is the Hall of the Elements. Lectures and lessons take place there. While Savos Aren is the Archmage, Mirabelle Ervine is the Master Wizard and runs the day to day operations. Also, watch out for Ancano. He is the Thalmor representative and advisor to the Archmage. He doesn't seem trustworthy. First you will be learning from Tolfdir, the alteration specialist. Phinis Gestor teaches conjuration. Colette Marence teaches restoration. Drevis Neloren teaches illusion and Sergius Turrianus teaches enchanting. Go to the Hall of the Elements for your first lesson." We thanked Faralda for her help and went into the hall.

Inside there were three other mages, a Khajiit, a Nord and a Dunmer, facing an old man who must have been Tolfdir. They looked at me as I walked up to them. Since Jenassa was not an apprentice, she could not attend so she went to the dorms to eat and use whatever facilities were there. If there was an alchemy station, she'd be gone all day making various potions and poisons. Tolfdir spoke.  
"Now, let's begin! If you don't know, my name is Tolfdir, I will be teaching you." He rambled on about magic being volatile and dangerous and we all pleaded with him to do something practical. "Very well, wards are shields against magic. Do any of you know a ward?"  
"I do." I told him.  
"Thank you, young lady. And you are?  
"Highborn."  
"Thank you. Now, Highborn, can you stand over there and defend yourself with a ward for me?" I nodded and walked over to where he had indicated. The others' eyes widened as I threw up a greater ward and Tolfdir's firebolt dissipated harmlessly against it.  
"Well done." Tolfdir said, smiling. "I think it's time to go on a little trip. We will go to Saarthal, a Nordic ruin close to here. I will wait for you all at the bottom of the bridge. Any questions?"  
At the same time, me and the Dark Elf said "Are there any Frostbite Spiders in Saarthal? Tolfdir chuckled.  
"And you are?"  
"Brelyna, sir." She replied.  
"Rest assured, there are no spiders in Saarthal." We breathed sighs of relief and the Nord spoke.  
"My name is Onmund, before you ask. Is there somewhere I can borrow a book?"  
"Yes, in the Arcaneum take the door over there." The Khajiit had something to say also.  
"J'zargo would like to use an arcane enchanter before we set out."  
"Of course. There is one is the Hall of Countenance." We all went our respective ways and eventually met Tolfdir at the bridge. I hadn't bothered to get Jen, she would be too busy exploring and I would never find her. We set out for Saarthal and found ourselves there soon enough. We all entered the Nordic ruin.

* * *

After walking down some steps Tolfdir stopped us.  
"We need to find Arniel Gane, he's doing some research and could probably use some assistance." After wandering some corridors we found him and he asked us to find some ancient rings. Brelyna, Onmund, J'zargo and I split up while Tolfdir and Arniel talked. I happened upon a stone wall displaying an amulet. I took it and a gate came up, blocking any way of escaping. Tolfdir and the others ran up to us. I saw that all three of them had discovered a ring.  
"Ok, stay calm. What happened?" Tolfdir asked. I explained and a thoughtful look crossed his face. "Try wearing the amulet." I did as he instructed and the iron bars forming the gate sank back into the ground. The wall which I had found the amulet on started pulsing. Tolfdir shot a magelight spell at it and it collapsed inwards. "Put on those rings, the enchantments will help you." He told Brelyna, Onmund and J'zargo. "There might be danger ahead."

We came to a room with three coffins. Suddenly, everyone froze (literally, like time had stopped) and a faint blue light enveloped the room. A man in strange robes materialized and I yelped in fright. He spoke.  
"You have set in motion a chain of events that cannot be stopped. The Psijiic order knows this. Judgement will not be passed on what you have already done, but on what you do in future." And with that, he vanished.  
"What happened?" Tolfdir asked. I informed him of my vision and, after a brief admittance of puzzlement, he decided to open the coffins. As he stepped closer, I connected the dots. We were in a Nordic ruin and there were coffins. That could only mean one thing.

Draugr.

I readied a firebolt as the tombs burst open and the draugr inside flew down the passageway behind it from the impact from my spell. Brelyna felled one with lightning bolt while Tolfdir used paralyze on the other, allowing Onmund and J'zargo to defeat it with frostbite and sparks. We carried on, watching for danger. We came to a large chamber and draugr stormed us. Chain lightning arced through most of them and they fell dead. Tolfdir told us he would stay behind and we carried on into the depths of Saarthal.

* * *

"What are these pillars?" Brelyna asked us. There were three on each side of the chamber. There was a gate and a lever at the end. It reminded me of the golden claw puzzle Faendal and I had solved in Bleak Falls Barrow, which meant that if we got it wrong, when we pulled the lever it would spring some sort of trap. I leaned against one and it turned. There was a snake, a hawk and a whale.  
"Look for clues to what the pillars should have displayed on their fronts." We spread out and looked around. Something caught my eye behind a pillar. At a closer look, I saw it was a plaque showing the right animal. I told the others and soon the gate had lowered and we came face to face with a strong looking draugr. We all conjured a flame atronach and it was easily disposed of.

We carried on past draugr and another, more annoying puzzle and came upon a corridor with an alchemy lab. Then I remembered my gifts from Gerdur. I looked around in my bag and found my case of poisons. I still had all three paralysis, all three stamina, all three magicka and two basic (I used one on a bear I had encountered.) My hand drifted about unsurely until I decided on magicka. Onmund cast me a questioning glance.  
"When you find an alchemy lab in a Nordic ruin with no hostile draugr in the same chamber, there's probably something dangerous up ahead." He nodded in understanding. J'zargo rummaged in his bag and brought out a small phial of poison. I turned to Onmund and Brelyna.  
"What alchemy components do you have?" Brelyna produced a Briar heart and a nirnroot while Onmund presented canis root and nightshade. The briar heart and canis root made a small paralysis poison for Onmund and I used the other two to give Brelyna some basic poison. "I trust that you have at least a dagger or a bow?" I said, dipping a steel arrow in the poison and readying it in my bow. To my surprise, they each produced a hunting bow and did likewise.  
"Wait!" A voice yelled. Shocked, we drew our bows and Tolfdir nearly got impaled by our arrows. At first he looked puzzled at the fact we were using bows and then realised.  
"Poison?" We nodded. "Good idea. It's about time I caught up with you, be prepared. There's something ahead. " We nodded and silently moved forward to the door.

We opened the door and came to a chamber filled with an unearthly turquoise glow coming from a large orb. A draugr sat in a throne down some stairs with a similar glow coating him. Brelyna and I went to the left of the top part, bows pointed at it while J'zargo and Onmund did the same at the right. Tolfdir descended the steps and, as he passed the draugr, it rose up from the chair. Tolfdir cast flames at it and, to our dismay, the draugr didn't even flinch and just used frostbite on him. Then a purple aura surrounded it and Tolfdir's flames got through. We took our chance and released our arrows, injuring him and, thanks to Onmund's poison, fell over for a few seconds, allowing Tolfdir to start casting spells at the shield surrounding the orb and allowing us to nock another arrow. There was just one small flaw.

The draugr had noticed us.

He picked himself up and the glow coated him once more. We gave up on our bows and four flame atronachs appeared once again, surrounding him. While the others tried to stop the cloak of light - which appeared and disappeared at regular intervals - from returning I jumped down to the throne the draugr had been sitting at and looked for something of use. There was a staff on a table with a gem at the top. The words 'Jyrik Gaulderson' were engraved on it. That must have been the draugr's name. The same purple aura surrounded Jyrik and I charged the staff.  
"Jyrik!" I yelled, hoping he would remember his name. He turned and a bolt of lightning shot him in the face, killing him and launching his corpse backwards. I ran up the stairs and checked his body. There was an amulet (which I put on and felt extra magicka flow into my body) and a piece of paper that I decided to read later. Tolfdir approached us, matching our grins with a smile of his own and motioned towards the giant orb, now barrier free.  
"You four did some good work today. Get back to the College for a well deserved rest." As we ran down the steps, Tolfdir stopped me. "I need you to inform the Archmage about this. I have to stay here and watch...whatever this is." He told me. I nodded and ran through the door where I came upon a wall similar to the one in Bleak Falls Barrow. Once again, energy flew into me and a strange chanting filled my head. There was one thought in my mind as I walked out of the ruin.

Jenassa would be so annoyed that she had missed this!

* * *

**Author's Note: Teehee! You thought it was going to be serious didn't you? But I got you good! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHA! Anyways, hope you liked it, PLEASE REVIEW! Have a nice day yackity shmackity bye bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hi again! Sorry if I haven't updated in a while, I've been doing a Skyrim comedy fic called Skyrim Shirts and I'm really into it. Check it out! It's a collab with Adz 99, We Did It For The Glory and CompanionWolf12. Anyways, last time Highborn joined the College of Winterhold and went to Saarthal, teamed up with three mages (Tolfdir not included because he only came at the end) and defeated a powerful draugr, discovering a strange orb. Just a usual day in Skyrim, really. Now she's on her way back to the College to tell the Archmage what happened.**

**Adz 99: Thanks for your review. I can see where you're coming from about Faralda being attacked but it was a way for High to show off her skills. Also, Jenassa didn't want to join so umm... that's all I've got. Thanks about the Tolfdir thing. So all-in-all, thanks for your advice/corrections!**

**Enjoy!**

**PS: Special thanks to Adz 99 and CompanionWolf12 for reviewing tons.**

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**5. A Keep keeping secrets.**

I looked around the Archmage's quarters. It was amazing! The actual quarters were a circular chamber with a garden for growing alchemy components in the middle. There were two shelves of potions and ingredients next to an alchemy lab. On the other side, there was an arcane enchanter with two shelves proudly displaying soul gems. At the end of the room was a large bed surrounded by boots, one of which glowed with an enchantment. Jenassa (as expected, she had been making poisons and had been devastated about missing out on Saarthal) eyed up a dwarven dagger that was sitting in a case, but I knew she wouldn't steal it. Not when she was in a college full of powerful mages that could turn her to dust in three seconds flat. Savos Aren, the Archmage, was in a chair reading book. We approached him and he regarded us.  
"I don't believe we've met before. Have we?"  
"No, we haven't. My name is Highborn and this is Jenassa. I'm a new apprentice."  
"It's very nice to meet you, Highborn, Jenassa. Now, what do you require?"  
"We found some sort of... orb in Saarthal. Tolfdir thinks you should see it."  
"Alright, I'll make sure it's seen to. Thank you. Would you like a staff of magelight? It's very useful but I doubt a mage of your ability would need it."  
"No thank you, sir. Is there anything else you would like me to do?"  
"Why yes, actually. Could you go to the Arcaneum and ask Urag if he has anything about Saarthal or this orb?"  
"Of course! Now, we'll be heading off."  
"Stay safe."  
"You too." Jenassa and I descended the steps and found ourselves in the Arcaneum, a massive library. Faralda approached us.  
"Highborn, Ancano was looking for you." She whispered to me, concern in her voice. "He's heard about Saarthal and wants to question you. Don't trust him and be careful what you say."  
"That I will, Faralda." I told her. She walked off and I was approached by a blond Altmer woman with her hair reaching down to her shoulders and tucking behind her ears. A scowl governed her face.  
"It's lies, all of it! Whatever she told you, it's all lies!"  
"Nice to meet you too!" I said sarcastically. "I'm Highborn." She growled in frustration.  
"Ugh! I'm Nirya, but I bet Faralda has told you that already! Probably the only true thing she's said about me!"  
"What's your problem with Faralda?"  
"My problem with her?" She said incredulously. "It is _her _who has a problem with _me_! She's jealous of me, of my talent, of my skills as a mage, of my superior good looks!" I rolled my eyes. It was Jenassa's turn to speak.  
"From what I can see, you have a problem with Faralda. She has said nothing about you to us, but maybe she should have warned us about you and your attention-seeking games!" We walked past her and, as we got a few metres, an ice spike shattered behind us. A returning firebolt whizzed past Nirya's head and Jenassa pressed her up against a wall, dagger inches from her windpipe.  
"You get let off this time, bitch." Jenassa growled. "But if you try that again, we will personally destroy you. Am I clear?" Nirya nodded slightly. "Good. Now get lost, people are staring." Jenassa released her and she walked slowly down to the Hall of the Elements, clutching her neck.

We approached an Orc in yellow mage robes like mine. He glared at us.  
"You are now in the Arcaneum, the realm of Urag Gro-Shrub, me. If you disrespect any of these books, I will have you torn apart by angry atronachs. Now, do you require assistance?" **(A.N: Don't you love Urag?)** I was unsettled by his threat then sudden offer for help.  
"Yes. Do you have any information on-"  
"Saarthal? Word travels fast round here. No, I don't have anything. Not any more."  
"Not any more?"  
"No, not any more! Orthorn stole three books and carted them off to Fellglow Keep when he abandoned us. One of those had something about Saarthal, I think. But I don't have it. I would go to Fellglow but I obviously can't, I'm too old. What about you two? Could go find them?"  
"Alright then. Where is Fellglow Keep?"  
"In the Whiterun mountains."  
"Thank you. Now, We'll be off." We went to leave but Ancano approached us.  
"You there! I have questions for you."  
"What now?" I sighed.  
"You and your little group found something in Saarthal, correct?" He asked us. There was a small gleam of hunger in his eyes. Barely noticeable but there all the same.  
"Why should you need to know? Isn't it Mirabelle Ervine or Savos Aren I should report to and not the Thalmor advisor?"  
"It is my _job_ to know these things. So spill."  
"I have already reported to Aren. If you want to find out, ask him. It is not my place or yours to deem who is fit to receive this information." I kept a serious face but I was grinning confidently inside. I had outsmarted him and there was nothing he could counter me with. He growled quietly as we walked past him and outside.  
"Oh, Highborn. Watch out that you don't sever your gums with that sharp tongue of yours." Jenassa sniggered.  
"I know." I sniggered back.

* * *

Fellglow Keep was an abandoned fort. We had arrived at night, giving Jenassa the cover she needed to slit the sentries' throats. We slipped inside the dungeons and dealt with a mage and two frostbite spiders, whose corpses floated on a pool of water and made me shudder even more than usual. A thought occurred to me.  
"Jen?"  
"Yes?"  
"What's your worst fear?" We had encountered many frostbite spiders on our travels, but we had never faced anything that Arra, Tor or Jen had been afraid of and I had never asked them. Jenassa considered my question.  
"Chaurus." She replied. I frowned. Chaurus were large, poison-spitting insects that lived along with Falmer in Dwemer ruins. I had never seen one myself as in the Thalmor we didn't go to places like that and I had never had time to go into a Dwemer ruin with Jen, Arra and Tor. This puzzled me as I had gathered that Jen was interested in the Dwemer, a fear of Chaurus would be a setback.  
"Why?"  
"It's the way they move. Their legs clack on the ground and they would chase you to the other side of the world. Also, the mandibles they use to bite with are so many inches away from their mouths." She shuddered. We carried on and came to a room with four cages, three of which had people in. I walked up to a cage and it's inhabitant looked me up and down hungrily, her dark red eyes glistening.

They were vampires.

No wonder the fort was high up in the mountains, it was full of mages experimenting on vampires! I heard voices on the other side of the door to the next room, there were lots of mages in there. I went to the wall were there were four levers, obviously corresponding to the cage doors, and pulled them. The three vampires ran through the door and a battle between them ensued. When the shouting died down, they ran up to us, grinning.  
"Thank you for freeing us, we couldn't bear it!" One said, a woman with short black hair.  
"Your welcome. You're free to go but don't dare prey on any more people. Seek out someone who can cure you."  
"Yeah, I don't think so, meat." We froze. "You see, we like the taste of blood, and we like our new powers. So, thanks and all that. But we're going to eat you now." Her body lurched backwards and turned to dust as a firebolt struck her. Another met his end in one of Jen's daggers and the third had the same fate as the first. We carried on into the keep.

* * *

"Get me out of here!" A High Elf in a cage yelled at us. He was wearing mage robes and had a desperate look in his eye.  
"Who are you?" I asked him.  
"Orthorn. I came here to join these mages but they turned on me and locked me up!"  
"So it looks like you got your comeuppance, book-thief."  
"You're from the College? I knew you'd come and save me!"  
"I'm here for the books."  
"Oh. Well, the Caller took them, but if you set me free, I'll help you find them!"  
"Well, we could use someone who knows their way around this place." I walked to the lever and opened the cage. We carried on through the keep.

* * *

"So, you're the one who disrupted my research and killed my colleagues. How nice to meet you." An Altmer woman in blue robes stood behind a pedestal with a book on it, one of Orthorn's books. The other two were on two pedestals in the room.  
"I'm here for the books, Caller. Perhaps we can come to some agreement?"  
"Well, what can you possibly offer me?" She asked. Orthorn stepped through the door. "Ah, Orthorn!" She turned her attention back to me. "Give me him."  
"What?"  
"I want Orthorn. I lost all my test subjects and I have to start somewhere. Don't worry, I'll keep him alive and well fed." I thought about this. Obviously the Caller was powerful and cunning. Also, if a fight started, the books might get damaged and Orthorn deserved to pay. I walked up to the Caller and shook her hand. She handed me the books and the key to the exit while Orthorn looked at me incredulously.  
"But...but...but I helped you through here!"  
"Yes, but I could have done that just as quickly. You are still the one who stole the books and, therefore, the reason Jen and I had to slog through this dungeon. Don't worry, you'll be safe." We walked past the Caller and she spoke to us.  
"Oh, by the way, if you come back to Fellglow, I will personally destroy you."  
"And likewise, if you exit this rat-hole of yours and try causing trouble for the people of Skyrim, I will cremate you alive." As we reached the door, Orthorn thought it would be wise to try and burn Jenassa.

He was sorely mistaken and ended up with an arrow protruding from his gut, courtesy of Jenassa.

The Caller looked at his corpse and turned to us.  
"Well, now that my only test subject is dead, I would like those books back. Oh, and your corpses!" She readied spells in her hands. As did I. Jenassa raised her daggers. We stared at each other for some time until I used telekinesis on the dagger Orthorn had strapped to his waist and magically launched it at the Caller, embedding itself in her arm. The woman shrieked in pain and teleported to another pedestal, leaving a flame atronach in her place that Jenassa dispatched with her daggers. Luckily, I was at the place where she reappeared and drove my axe through her. Her body fell to the floor.  
"That's what happens when you cross us." I whispered to the body. Jenassa and I opened a the door to the exit and left.

* * *

"Here are your books, Urag!" I presented the Orc with the three volumes. He smiled.  
"Turns out you're not all bad. Thanks. Here, read these. They'll increase your understanding in the schools of magic." He handed me six books and studied the novels I had retrieved. "Hmm, Night of Tears. I remember something about Saarthal in this. Take it down to Tolfdir in the Hall of Elements. He's examining the orb." I thanked the Orismer and went to see Tolfdir.

* * *

"Night of Tears? I'll check it out later. Right now I just can't tear myself away from this thing!" The old man confessed. I too felt the sphere's magnetic pull. Tolfdir began walking around the cyan pool of water which the orb was floating above. I followed him. "I've never seen anything like it, Highborn! It isn't Ayleid, Daedric, Dwemer nor Falmer! And it practically radiates magicka!" I nodded in agreement.  
"Tolfdir!" Ancano approached us, an aggravated look on his face. "I need to speak with your friend here"  
"Well, I've never been interrupted like this before. The audacity!" Tolfdir replied, obviously riled. He turned to me. "I apologize, we'll have to continue this some other time." He left and I faced Ancano, miffed that I had missed out on hearing Tolfdir's thought about the orb's origin.  
"What?"  
"There is a Psijiic monk in our College. And he's looking for you."

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**Author's Note: Dun, dun, duuuuuun! Well, that's another chapter. I hope it made up for the amount of time it took. I think I might do a chapter in High's travelling days next. See ya!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N: Started a new file as a Redguard spellsword...miss being an elf though... Oh! Yeah! Hi! Sorry, my mind wandered. So, yeah, I MISS ELFHOOD! But not so much as to stop being an awesome spellsword. Did you know that Bosmer are elf thieves, Altmer are elf mages and Orismer are elf warriors (Dunmer are thief-mages)? Had something else to tell you... oh well. Redguards are good because they have boosts in one-handed, destruction and alteration which I find useful. Here's another thing: even though I'm going to have Highborn a Stormcloak, I feel more Imperial myself. I also started a new fic called Thieves with Honour, check it out (btw I'm not asking for characters on it anymore, maybe later though)! This chapter will be some of High's days travelling. A bit of a spin-off for you. Enjoy!**

**P.S: This whole chapter is memories so I'm not putting it in Italics.**

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**6. Memories**

6.1. How I met Arravus.

I threw a firebolt behind me, striking another Thalmor.

How long had I been running? At least a couple of hours. I had made it to Valenwood so easily, now I was running for my life. I hurled a fireball, it exploded on a Wood Elf's chest, incinerating him. Where was I? Had I been running in circles? The trees made it hard to tell.

The trees.

I drew on my circlet's massive reserve of magicka **(A.N: Fortify magicka enchantment: +100 magicka) **and shot an ice spike into a tree. I began circling it, making a spiral staircase with the ice. If I wasn't resourceful, I wouldn't have made it this far. I jumped up the 'stairs' one at a time until I got to a high enough branch. The branch shuddered.

Someone was throwing lightning bolts at it. The branch snapped.

I fell to the floor and quickly used close wounds. The soldiers were a fair distance from me. I conjured up a ward and touched it to the ground. A little trick I had learned. A circle of blue light rose around me. That would keep their arrows at bay. I rummaged through my bag, looking for the scroll hastily marked _fire storm_. I opened the roll of parchment and it split in half, leaving an orb of fire in each hand. I started twisting my arms. The soldiers surrounded my ward-barrier, hesitating when they saw the master spell. A soldier collapsed, a dwarven arrow lodged in his windpipe. I used the momentary confusion to raise my hands and release the spell. Every soldier died in the circle of fire. I had to learn those master spells. But there was something a bit more pressing at the moment.

Who shot that soldier?

A figure dropped down from the trees. I readied my elven sword and dagger, fire and shock creeping up each blade respectively **(A.N: That means the first mentioned weapon (the sword) has the first mentioned enchantment (fire)**. If this person was an archer, they would be better with ranged combat if it came to a fight. I didn't want that to happen. The figure came out of the shadows and I saw she was a Bosmer woman. She had tanned skin and blonde-brown hair that was swept behind her ears. Blue-grey war paint adorned her amber eyes. She was undoubtedly the subject of much male attention. She had her dwarven bow ready, but not drawn. She was wearing a full set of scaled armour. There was a faint scar going from just under her left eye to beside her mouth.  
"You running from them too, eh?" She said. I nodded. "We would probably have a better chance of survival if we stuck together."  
"I agree." I told her, walking up to her. "Highborn." I said, shaking her hand. She looked me in the eye and replied.  
"Arravus."

We set off in the direction I was going.

**A.N: Hope you liked this one. The next one is about Torroval. I won't do how they met Jenassa because you've already read that.**

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6.2: How I met Torroval.

Arravus and I looked at the border to Cyrodiil. I had been quite easy to slip through at Dune and make our way to Riverhold. Now we were close to close to Cyrodiil.  
I looked to Arravus. "Remember the plan?"  
"Yes. I cause a distraction and you go invisible and nab a soldier. It's despicable that the Thalmor hoaxed them using the Khajiit religion and blinded them!" I nodded. The Thalmor had used their knowledge of the turning of the moons to make it look like they brought the moons back for the Khajiit. The beastfolk had fell for it and swore undying loyalty to the Thalmor. They worshipped the moons and that had left them vulnerable. Arravus handed me a small white potion bottle and stuffed some vampire dust in her mouth, turning invisible. She slipped off and I cast invisibility, ready for action.

I crept up behind a Khajiit in Orcish armour as the other guards went to find Arravus' distraction. I slipped an arm around his neck with one arm and forced the potion into him with the other. He turned invisible and I dragged him into a room and tied him to a chair. He appeared and Arra appeared beside me.  
The cat-man snarled. "Come to silence me for telling the truth, eh?" I was taken aback. It was rare to find a Khajiit that didn't refer to himself in the third person.  
"What truth?" I asked.  
"That you didn't really bring the moons back, did you? I've told everyone but they're all still blinded by you supremacists." He spat. I smiled and turned to Arravus.  
"This could be useful. Listen, Khajiit, we're deserters. I'm Highborn and this is Arravus. Do you want to come with us?" The cat smiled. I took him in for the first time. He had light grey fur and no hair (which I think looks much better). He had a small scar near his chin.  
"Agreed. My name is Torroval. Just untie me and we can go."  
"Ok. Just one more question. The only Khajiit Thalmor I've seen are either assassins or wear light armour. Do you have a special role or do you just prefer heavy armour?"  
"Heavy armour is more protective. I am trained in shield and both one and two-handed weapons, but I am better with one-handed. I need something to protect me if the situation calls for me to change to a greatsword."  
"Why would situation call for a two-handed weapon?"  
"If I have few arrows left and I am up against an opponent that prefers ranged-combat." I nodded in understanding and untied him. He walked to a chest and grabbed some supplies. We left the barracks and Torroval stopped us.  
"The mages here have set up traps for anyone who goes the wrong way. If we set off the traps the troops at _Senchal_ will know about us." We nodded. Torroval started forward stealthily. We followed him as he zigzagged on the sands. He neared a small dune and a venomous-looking snake slithered up to him. It unhinged its jaw, ready to bite him, and I shot an ice spike at it. A wailing sound came from all around us.

"Shit." I cursed.

Thalmor sprinted to catch up with us and soon we were in a battle for our lives. Arravus shot with many her bow, plunging a glass dagger into anyone who dared to come close. I took on a spellsword's stance and shot fire, frost and shock at soldiers and slashed at anyone who came too near. Torroval whirled through the Thalmor swarm, blocking with his shield and lopping off limbs with his sword. He switched plucked a greatsword off his back and took on a group of archers. _So that's when you use a greatsword._ I thought to myself. I hacked at a soldier and electrocuted another. There was no way we could do this. A Khajiit would fall and another would take their place. I wasn't the only one struggling. Arravus had switched to two glass daggers and was desperately stabbing at the soldiers surrounding her. Torroval was getting tired and was constantly blocking as clumsily as I would. There wasn't even anything to use. Just sand. What do you even use sand for?

Glass.

I switched to dual-wielding flames and projected them onto the sand, ducking and diving as I did so. Slowly but surely, the sand around me turned to glass. I changed to frost and threw an ice spike into the glass. It shattered and riddled the soldiers with deep injuries, weakening them. I took the opportunity to plunge bound swords into as many as I could, which was most of them. The last few were easily killed with magic. I ran to Arravus, spraying the ground with fire again. I shattered the glass and we killed them. This caught the attention of Torroval's opponents and gave us the chance to mutilate them.

We joined up and I healed them before healing myself. We crossed into Cyrodiil and set up camp for the night.  
"This is great." I said. "We're finally free from Thalmor rule."  
"Um, Highborn." Torroval began warily.  
"Yes?"  
"I understand you haven't had contact with the Thalmor, or you, Arravus, but I have."  
"And?"  
"The Thalmor are still in Cyrodiil." My face dropped.  
"So where should we go now?" Arravus asked me. I thought for a while and came upon an idea.  
"Morrowind."

**A.N: Ok, now we have the initial team. So Jenassa joins near Morrowind and blah, blah, blah. The final memory is backgrounds.**

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6.3. Backgrounds.

I set down my bedroll and wandered over to the campfire where Jen, Arra and Tor were sat. We sat in silence for a while. I looked up at the stars. It reminded me of a night eight months ago, I was looking up at the stars with my sisters Amaryllis and Octavia when I told them about my plans for deserting. I had told them that I had had enough of the Thalmor's unfair views on other races. They had quietly agreed. I missed my family. I also wondered what my friends' backgrounds were like. If we were separated, or... killed, I would want to know where they had come from.  
"Guys," I asked. "I was thinking, and I want to tell you where I come from."  
"Go on then." Arravus said. I took a breath and began.

"I was born into a family high up in the government. My father was a blacksmith for the upper class and my mother was a seamstress for nobles. I lived in Alinor. Life should have been easy for me. However, my uncle had done terrible things and, to keep him alive, my father had to promise that his next child would join the Thalmor. As soon as I was nine, I was beginning training. I was lovingly told by my mother that I was the best mage out of all of us. My mother is excellent at restoration, my father is amazing at conjuration. My older sister Octavia is adept at illusion and my little sister Amaryllis is superb at alteration. I excelled in destruction but, unlike the rest of my family, I was good at all schools."

"What was your uncle good at?" Arravus asked me.

"Getting drunk!" I laughed. "The rest of my family are good enchanters. But that isn't the point. Soon, I was rising up in the ranks until I was given my own private chambers in the Thalmor at the age of sixteen. This was a honey-trap. As soon as I was given my chambers, I was expected to act like I was superior to any other race and anyone who was an enemy of the general. I know what you're thinking; _you were rich, you're friends were soon joining the Thalmor, you had your own private chambers and were the most respected sixteen-year-old in Alinor. Why not just go along with it and make life easy?_ It's because the Thalmor's beliefs clashed with mine and those of my family. I refused and they decided to teach me a lesson. They grabbed an extremely ill old woman off the streets and told me that she was in love with an old Nord. Then it was an ultimatum; I kill her, or they kill everyone I love. I had to kill the poor, defenceless old woman and I finally saw the flaws in the Thalmor. So I started to rebel. Just small things, nothing that would get me or anyone else in trouble, but it caused trouble for the Thalmor. Then one day they crossed the line.  
"I was eighteen. A man had came to the Isles bearing goods. He was only my age, Breton. But, since he was only young he had neglected to remember the hatred Thalmor had for Talos. He had ten amulets of Talos. The rule was that if a traveller ever sold anything Talos-related, something would have to come off. First were his feet, two down. Third and fourth, his hands. Fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth, his arms and legs. Ninth his tongue, and at ten they were out of things to cut off... so they decided he should lose his head.  
"That was it for me. I began intervening in things like that. Slip in invisibly, free the prisoner, slip out. I knew that if I was caught, I would be killed, but it didn't matter anymore. On my twenty-first birthday eight months ago, I decided to leave the Thalmor. If I didn't I would go mad. Two weeks later I was running from the people who had once respected me, cared for me and made me feel important."

Everyone was silent for a while. Torroval broke the silence.  
"Well, if we are telling background stories, I'm next. There's not much more than a few lines, though. My mother and father abandoned me as a baby to become part of a caravan. They left me on the Thalmor doorstep. A general took me in and named me after his home city, Torval. When I learned of my past, I decided to be different to other Thalmor to prove that I am worthy of pride. So I donned heavy armour and became a Thalmor warrior. Eventually, I fell in love with an Altmer who told me the truth about the moons. I got angry and told the general, who had become a father-figure. He believed me and, in his rage, killed the woman who told me. I was heartbroken. So in the night, I had soldiers take him away. Even though my foster father had destroyed me, I dedicated myself to making sure everyone knew the truth. You came and here I am, twenty-three and with more knowledge than most of my race." Torroval's story touched me. He had been in love and his foster father had ruined it.

Arravus volunteered to go next. I wondered what her story would be like, she was only nineteen.  
"My story isn't very interesting. I was born in a normal family, we were one of the few Bosmer families who ate plants, mainly because when there was nothing else to hunt we refused to eat the flesh of men, mer and beastfolk. The Thalmor had a good illusion of being good and right and soon, me and my brothers were archers and enjoying it. One day I came across something I shouldn't. A High Elf was experimenting on spriggans. I had befriended a group of spriggans and one of the ones he was experimenting on was the leader of that group. In my rage I killed the man and told my brothers. They're only fourteen and fifteen and had emotions and hormones running round their bodies and minds. In their eyes, I had betrayed them and the Thalmor and the spriggans deserved to be experimented on as they had 'obviously' angered the Thalmor. They reported me and the next day I was running." Arravus' story shocked me. She had been through so much in her life. Jenassa was the only one left.

"I was born into a poor family with a wimp of a mother and an abusive father. I was mainly left to fend for myself and many times turned to thievery for food. It turns out, I was good. When I was eighteen I met a man who made me feel worth something. A member of House Telvanni. He married me and took me away from my wreck of a family. Two years later my husband and I got what we wanted, I was pregnant. We were so excited. Unfortunately, the child died in the first few months. My husband was so upset he picked up the bottle. And when he was drunk he picked up whatever he could find and hurled it at me. I put up with it, telling myself he would one day be better.  
"Years went by and I realised he was no longer grieving. He was addicted to alcohol... and hitting me. It started at twenty-one and ended at thirty-two. At thirty-two he was so drunk that instead of a shovel or a pan, he picked up a sword." Jenassa's voice broke for a minute before she carried on. "It was his life or mine. I chose to live. I slit his throat and was on the run the next week. A few days after that, I found you three. And here we are today."

A sad silence descended on us. Tears rolled down Jenassa's cheeks. I realised that whatever happened, whoever betrayed us and whoever died, we would always have each other.

And if one of us died, we would still always have our memories.

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**A.N: I hope you enjoyed it, it took me most of the day to write! Sorry I haven't written for a while, I have a total of 6 fics going. So they were all memories. We'll get back on track next time.**

**Bye!**


End file.
